Was the 14th century the worst time in history to be alive? Ravaged by a plague that drove humanity to the edge of extinction, convulsed by a war that lasted more than 100 years, and driven by social upheaval, it was an era of harsh lords and ragged peasants, strange superstitions, persecution and people living lives that were venal and short.

The three programmes that comprise World's Worst Century explore the complex reality of medieval life. They show that, for all the hardship and conflict, the society of the time was able to withstand each terrible crisis surprisingly well.

The Black Death
Monday 27 September 9pm
This pandemic was an unprecedented human disaster on a mind-boggling scale. In three dreadful years, over one third of Europe’s population was wiped out. This film follows the spread of the plague and its implications for the Europe of the Middle Ages – history told through the voices of some of the key chroniclers of the time. It also reveals the legacy of a disease that traumatised the entire Western world and was also the trigger for that world’s reawakening.

Find out how the Black Death affected not just Europe but  Asia and Africa too.

The Peasants’ Revolt
Thursday 30 September 9pm
Tony Robinson traces the course of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, one of the most significant moments in British history, showing how newly empowered peasants came within an ace of toppling the monarchy. Using expert analysis and reconstruction, he illustrates the political, social and cultural background to the rebellion, and celebrates the roles those men and women played in challenging the status quo for one of the first times in history.

Find out more about life in medieval Britain in our  Time Traveller's Guide.

Agincourt
Monday 4 October 9pm
The Hundred Years War, which had convulsed northern Europe for almost all of the 14th century, was at its bloody climax when, on 25 October 1415 the medieval world collided with the coming modern age. At Agincourt, an army of French armoured knights came face to face with a new and ruthless force and the brutal encounter that followed changed the face of battle for ever. Agincourt set the seal on the World's Worst Century and paved the way for the new order that would follow.

Find out more about the Hundred Years War, which climaxed at Agincourt.

Top